Category: Christ’s earthly ministry

Mercy and Not Sacrifice? #2

Saturday, September 7, 2013

“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:7,8 KJV).

What did our Lord mean in today’s Scripture?

The Sabbath day first appears in Scripture in Genesis 2:1-3: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Notice that creation and the Sabbath day are connected. God has just created the heavens and the earth. After six days of working, He rests—not because He is tired, but because His work is finished. From this point onward to Moses and the Law, the Bible makes no reference to man keeping the Sabbath.

Through the Mosaic Law, the LORD commanded Israel in Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

Again, see how Sabbath-day observance and the creation week are related. When God instructed Israel to keep the Sabbath day, they were not to do any work (just like God ceased from His work in Genesis chapter 2): instead, on the Sabbath, Israel was to take the time to remember God’s original plan in creation and their role in it.

This background information will now help us better understand today’s Scripture….

Mercy and Not Sacrifice? #1

Friday, September 6, 2013

“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:7,8 KJV).

What did our Lord mean in today’s Scripture?

Read today’s Scripture with its context: “[1] At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. [3] But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; [4] How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? [5] Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? [6] But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. [7] But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:1-8).

Firstly, notice that Jesus’s hungry disciples are picking corn on the Sabbath day. This angers the Pharisees, religious leaders who are sticklers of Mosaic Law-keeping, and who piously tell Jesus, “Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day” (verse 2). They are reminding Jesus of what the LORD commanded Israel through Moses in Exodus 20:8-10: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work….”

Let us see why the Sabbath is important in the context of today’s Scripture, thereby learning the meaning of today’s Scripture….

Words Spoken at Baptism?

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Matthew 28:19 KJV).

How do we resolve these instructions with what the Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:38?

Water baptism, the most divisive issue within Christendom, is rightly called “religious TNT.” There is tremendous confusion about water baptism. Who should administer it (priest, pastor, deacon)? What is the proper mode (sprinkling, pouring, immersion)? What words should be said? Who should be water baptized (adults only, or adults and babies)? How many times forward and backward? Where should it occur? For salvation, for a testimony, or not at all?

Confusion especially arises regarding today’s Scripture and Acts 2:38. Post-resurrection, Jesus commissioned His apostles: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (today’s Scripture). Yet, read Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Which is it? Water baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” as Jesus Christ declared (Matthew 28:19)? Or, be baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ,” as the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter taught (Acts 2:38)? Even today, some denominations follow Matthew 28:19 while others obey Acts 2:38, fervently accusing each other of not having the valid baptism!

Resolving the apparent contradiction between Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38 is as simple as reading and believing the verses and their context. To whom does Matthew 28:19 refer? “All nations”—Gentiles—just as the verse says. Whom does Acts 2:38 involve? “All the house of Israel” (verse 36).

Matthew 28:19 refers to believing Gentiles in Christ’s millennial kingdom (verse 20) being cleansed from their pagan idolatry and embracing the triune Godhead, the only true God. Acts 2:38 is God’s plan of salvation for Israel: Peter is instructing Jews to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Person they rejected and crucified on Calvary’s cross.

A Greater Prophet and King #3

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:41,42 KJV).

What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean in today’s Scripture?

Jesus confirmed “[the Ninevites] repented at the preaching of Jonas” (today’s Scripture; cf. Luke 11:32) and “for [the queen of Sheba] came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon” (today’s Scripture; cf. Luke 11:31). He thus reminded Israel: “Behold, a greater than Jonas is here” and “behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” He is twice-stressing whom He is to get Israel’s attention. Paraphrasing, “Look, I am the Prophet whom JEHOVAH God has promised you! Look, I am the King whom JEHOVAH God has promised you!”

The Lord Jesus is greater than Solomon because He (Jesus) is God (Hebrews 1:6-12). Unlike Solomon, He will reign over all the world forever (Daniel 2:44; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 11:15)—Solomon’s reign was limited to 40 years in Israel before he died (1 Kings 11:42,43). Unlike Solomon, Jesus Christ will never die, and His reign will never end! Jesus Christ, being sinless, will be a much wiser King over Israel than Solomon ever was!

The Lord Jesus is greater than Jonas because He (Jesus) is God (John 1:1). Unlike Jonah, He “has the words of eternal life” (John 6:68) meant for all the world, but particularly Israel—Jonah only preached to the city Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; Jonah 3:3), and the message he preached was limited divine revelation, whereas Jesus Christ taught Israel a much fuller explanation of God’s Word. Unlike Jonah, Jesus Christ did not disobey Father God, and His message is the world’s only hope if they are to escape God’s wrath in the lake of fire… far worse than the wrath Nineveh ever saw!

Let us now conclude this devotionals arc….

A Greater Prophet and King #2

Monday, August 12, 2013

“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:41,42 KJV).

What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean in today’s Scripture?

The LORD sent the Prophet Jonah to Gentile Nineveh to warn them of His impending wrath. “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:10). Jesus Christ commented: “they repented at the preaching of Jonas” (today’s Scripture; cf. Luke 11:32).

Other than his father David, Solomon was one of Israel’s greatest kings (despite Solomon’s later apostasy). The LORD gave Solomon great wisdom, for Solomon desired to rule God’s people with it (1 Kings 3:5-28). In chapter 10, a Gentile queen—the queen of Sheba—travels far to Jerusalem to witness firsthand Solomon’s wisdom. Jesus Christ commented: “for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon” (today’s Scripture; cf. Luke 11:31).

Scripture teaches Jesus Christ fulfills three roles for Israel: (1) Priest—Zechariah 6:13 cf. Hebrews 3:1, (2) Prophet—Deuteronomy 18:15 cf. Acts 3:22-26, and (3) King—Jeremiah 23:5 cf. John 12:11-15. In today’s Scripture, the Bible referred to Him as being Prophet and King: “Behold, a greater than Jonas is here” and “behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”

In other words, Jesus said in today’s Scripture: “Pay attention, Israel! If Gentiles thought it wise to listen to the Prophet Jonah and King Solomon, you had better listen to Me! I am the Prophet who commissioned Jonas and I am the King who educated Solomon! If you remain in your unbelief, the queen of the south and the Ninevites will condemn you on the day of judgment!”

Unfortunately, Israel did not listen to her Prophet and King….

A Greater Prophet and King #1

Sunday, August 11, 2013

“The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:41,42 KJV).

What did our Lord Jesus Christ mean in today’s Scripture?

Firstly, who was “Jonas” in the Bible? His name in Greek is “Jonas,” but its Hebrew form is “Jonah.” In the little Old Testament Bible book that bears his name, God sends the prophet to preach repentance in wicked Nineveh, the capital city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Jonah is reluctant to go, but encounters with a whale and death itself change his mind! You should read the book of Jonah for yourself, but suffice it to say that Jonah preaches to the Ninevites, who obey his message and quit their wickedness, delaying God’s wrath against them for a few centuries.

Secondly, the story of the queen of the south (Queen of Sheba) traveling far to hear King Solomon’s wisdom is found in 1 Kings 10:1-10, which read.

In Deuteronomy 18:15,18, Moses counseled Israel: “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;… [the LORD said to Moses] I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” Centuries later, in Acts 3:22-26, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter interprets Moses’ words as being a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 23:5,6 foretold the day when JEHOVAH would “raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper” and that King would be called “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Matthew 21:5, Luke 1:31-33, Luke 19:38, and others declare this is a prophetic reference to Jesus Christ.

Let us now summarize….

Judge Not? #3

Monday, August 5, 2013

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1 KJV).

Today’s Scripture, often used against the Bible believer who exposes sin for what it is, is not teaching what it is often assumed to assert.

To understand what Jesus Christ meant we must read the context: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

Our Lord is referring to hypocritical judging. Romans 2:21,22 provide an example: “Thou [Jew, verse 17] therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?” The Jews should have taught the Gentiles the Word of JEHOVAH God. Alas, the Jews were equally guilty of breaking God’s laws as the Gentiles—the Jews acted like the Gentiles who did not even know JEHOVAH!

What Jesus Christ meant in today’s Scripture is that in His kingdom on earth, no hypocritical judging will be tolerated. Whatever standard by which a Jew condemns others’ actions, his own activities will be evaluated by that same standard. For instance, he will come under God’s condemnation if he ridicules a thief, when he himself has been dishonest (a fact he ignores). He emphasizes the sin of one person (the “mote,” or speck), but he has many sins (the “beam,” or log)—in fact, he is guilty of the same sins!

This, however, does not mean we Christians are to remain apathetic—silent—about sin….

The King, the Donkey, and the Horse #5

Sunday, July 28, 2013

“…[T]he sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11 KJV).

The King appeared once, and He shall return….

Society is becoming increasingly hostile toward Christianity (Jesus Christ never was popular with mankind anyway!). The Bible abounds with verses that discuss Jesus Christ reigning over this planet. After all, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). Creation was to originally glorify its Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, but a usurper, a trespasser, Satan, desires that worship. Hence, there exists “this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4; cf. 1 John 5:19). If Jesus Christ is to reign over this planet, all individuals who oppose His will must be forcefully evicted first.

In the book of the Revelation, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John summarizes all of the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus Christ’s return to earth (those not fulfilled at His first coming). He came once—meek and lowly to “suffer” and die for man’s sins (today’s Scripture). Now, He is coming back to righteously judge whoever rejects that sacrifice He made at Calvary, to dispossess the earth from Satan and purify it so as to reign over that creation that was originally made for Him—“the glory that should follow” (today’s Scripture).

Jesus Christ Himself foretold, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31). We see a brief glimpse of that “glory” at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 16:28–17:8; Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:27-36).

At His Second Coming, Jesus Christ will leave the third heaven, with tens of thousands of mighty angelic soldiers following Him. They will glide over the Middle East, utterly conquering Satan and his troops gathered against believing Israel (Psalm 68:1-35; Psalm 83:1-18; Isaiah 63:1-6; Joel 3:1-16; Zechariah 14:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Jude 14,15; Revelation 19:11-21; et al.). With the opposition gone, Jesus Christ can dismount His horse and reign over earth….

The King, the Donkey, and the Horse #4

Saturday, July 27, 2013

“…[T]he sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11 KJV).

The King appeared once, and He shall return….

When Jesus Christ came to His nation Israel, He had every right to utterly consume them in His wrath. They had ignored Him ever since their early days, nearly 2,000 years before, by worshipping pagan idols. When He was born as a human, they treated Him no better. For three years, He was ridiculed and slandered as being crazy, an imposter, a drunkard, a devil-possessed individual, et cetera.

Ultimately, Israel demanded the Roman government crucify Him, and they did—yea, Jesus experienced the death of a despicable criminal. Christ’s crucifixion was extremely horrific, and although He knew everything that was coming, He never fought against it. Again, the Old Testament prophets spoke of Jesus Christ as being meek and lowly, the attitude He had leading up to His death. These prophets spoke of “the sufferings of Christ” (today’s Scripture). That was His Father’s will, and He came to please His Father! “Abba, Father… nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36; cf. Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42; John 18:11).

Jesus Christ will one day return to earth. This time, however, He will not be a meek and lowly donkey-rider. In those Bible days, when a king rode a horse into a foreign city or country, he was demonstrating an attitude of war toward that land’s government. Interestingly enough, the Apostle John writes in Revelation 19:11: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.” This is Jesus Christ’s Second Coming, when He sheds His enemies’ blood and reigns as earth’s Supreme King, fulfilling the “glory” that today’s Scripture, and the Old Testament prophets, foretold….

The King, the Donkey, and the Horse #3

Friday, July 26, 2013

“…[T]he sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:11 KJV).

The King appeared once, and He shall return….

Five centuries after the prophet Zechariah wrote, Israel’s Messiah-King (Jesus) rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. However, Israel cried out, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15). Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected the third day, but Israel still refused Him. He went back into heaven as an exile, rejected of His own people. As the book of Acts progresses, we learn that Israel is content in unbelief, refusing to listen to Jesus Christ’s apostles and prophets in early Acts (who urge their brethren to accept Him so that they can avoid His wrath when He returns).

Remember, the prophet Zechariah also wrote: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:1-4).

Jesus Christ came to earth the first time riding on a donkey, a gesture of peace toward Israel. Israel refused Him. After His death, burial, and resurrection, He ascended into heaven, where even today He waits until the time when He is to come back. He will return to earth on a horse, bringing salvation to Israel’s believing remnant, but declaring war on all of His (unbelieving) enemies. The “glory” of today’s Scripture must be fulfilled….